A One Night Stand's Gift
by RickyLee727
Summary: Gaara open's the door to find a rather small and totally unexpected surprise. The little one is scared and alone and doesn't have anywhere else to go. Will Gaara listen to Temari, Kankuro or himself?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: A Rather Small Surprise.**

**A/N: This had been floating around in my mind when I had a rather weird thought of "Hey I wonder what it would be like if Gaara had a kid he didn't know about?" Yeah, I know sounds far-fetched right? I've tried to keep this as cannon as possible. Let me know if I spell/use the Japanese words/names wrong. Uh.. I have this at K+ because I don't feel like cuss words are worthy of T. If you find it offensive, well that's just too god damn bad, go take your butt hurt self of the internets then. Anyway, hope you enjoy my little story; it was a bitch to write. XD**

**P.S. There may be spoilers, because I'm caught up with both the manga and the anime.**

* * *

Gaara was at home, finishing his lunch, when he heard a soft knock at the door. To him, it was odd. His team mates or Council Elders usually just barged in; everyone else just left him alone.

The knock came again, a little louder this time. Silently Gaara stood and approached his door. It opened with a loud creak; he made a mental note to get that fixed. Seeing no one he turned away with an irritated frown.

"Umm...G-Gaara... s-sir?" came a small timid voice from below.

Silent as a starless night, Gaara turned his not-so-friendly gaze down. His face softened upon seeing a strange child at his doorstep.

He was small, barely reaching Gaara's hip. The boy seemed to be no older than four. Gaara crossed his arms, waiting patiently for him to speak.

"Um... my mom...uh." he sniffled and rummaged through his pockets and brought out a crumpled piece of paper. The boy seemed incredibly distressed, "H-here." he thrust his tiny hand up, while turning his gaze to the fearsome man in front of him for the first time.

Gaara's eyes widened in shock for a moment. The boy looked strikingly like him, with his shaggy red hair and unremarkable pale green eyes. Gaara silently took the paper from the nervous boy. Before he could read the torn paper, the boy seemed to gather his courage.

"My name is Gabriel. M-my mom-" he choked a little. Gaara waited. "She said you're papa." he ended in a whisper, no longer looking Gaara in the eye, but instead staring at his sandaled feet.

Gaara narrowed his eyes. 'Is this some kind of joke?' he thought. He'd never lain with anyone. Except that one drunken miss-hap...oh.

...Well shit.

***Flash Back***

_His siblings wanted to go drinking and had dragged him along. Gaara sighed, he really, really didn't want to do this; but they had insisted._

_He'd never gone out drinking before, sure he had a shot of sake every once in a while; but never drink till you drop._

_"I'm actually excited to see what type of drunk you are Gaara." Temari slurred, throwing her arm around his shoulders, already a little tipsy._

_"Really? I'm a bit nervous." Kankuro said off handedly._

_"Relax, I won't drink that much." Gaara grumbled. He's deeply dangerous without a drop of alcohol, who knows how deadly he'll be fully drunk?_

_They entered the bar. Several people left upon seeing the trio. Others, too drunk to notice or care, stayed in their seats or laying on the floor._

_Gaara wrinkled his nose at the foul stench of the cheap bar. He sat at the stool while Temari ordered drinks for the three of them._

_After some time went by, Gaara found himself drinking more and more. His world suddenly became a happy place full of sunshine and rainbows. He started to laugh and snort for no particular reason._

_Kankuro and Temari looked over at Gaara in total surprise. Who would have thought that Gaara - _Gaara _of the freaking Desert - one of the most dangerous person's on the planet, would be a happy drunk? They shared a tipsy look when a pretty brunette sat next to him and engaged in slurred conversation._

_Some more time went by and Gaara and the strange woman stood, wobbling dangerously. Gaara, weighed down by his gourd, fell flat on his ass. There was a short pause before they both busted out laughing. The lady tried helping him up, but she lacked the upper body strength to do so._

_After some giggles from both party's Gaara slipped off his gourd and stood, leaning heavily on the lady with a snort and a chuckle. Kankuro heard his brother speak "I'm Gaara by the way. Gaara of the... __***laughs***__ Desert." she laughed tilting sideways with his weight. She clearly lacked muscle._

_Kankuro could barely hear her response, "That's awesome! __***hiccups***__" she slurred, "Gaara I should take you home. You're clearly too..." she wobbled, Gaara caught her before she could fall, "way too drink...er drunk to-" she couldn't finish because Gaara interrupted her._

_"No, no, no..." Gaara continued to mumble and giggle with her, "I should take you home." he said smiling ear to ear._

_Actually smiling!_

_He bowed to her real low, "Uh-oh." and fell. She laughed at him while he stood._

_The drunk duet wobbled out of the cheap bar._

_"Uh, should we?" Kankuro asked standing to go after them._

_"Sit down Kankuro! He'll be fine! He's a big boy!" Temari slurred already well into her own cups._

'Am I the only one who can hold their booze?'_ Kankuro sighed. The puppeteer then picked up Gaara's gourd of sand and continued his binge drinking._

***End Flash Back***

Due to the massive hangover, Gaara couldn't really remember that night. The morning after he woke up from the best sleep he'd ever had, in a strange bed, with a strange woman, naked.

She had woken up, they exchanged some awkward words. Red faced, they'd gotten dressed and went their separate ways. He never saw her again, (though Gaara wouldn't have minded if he did see her again).

"If-if I have the w-wrong person, I'll juss go." he whispered fidgeting. The boy seemed not to have the intention to leave.

With a sudden exhausted sigh, Gaara spoke, "No. I'm Gaara." Without further a due he opened the note not missing the boy's small smile.

***The Note***

_'I am terribly sorry for dumping a strange child at your doorstep unannounced._

_He is only there because I am no longer among the living. I've been terribly ill since his birth and I fear that I won't last much longer._

_It's not his fault that I am sick; I have always been a sickly child. However, Gabriel will surely blame himself, my sister surely will._

_To be honest I doubted he was your son for the longest time. You see, I'm not what you call a 'Saint'. To get to the point, he can will the sand to do anything. In retrospect I should have noticed earlier, as infant dust storms would appear whenever he was upset, and You're the only red head I've ever been 'acquainted' with._

_You can imagine my surprise when sand protected my Little Angel from the local bullies. I always asked him about it, but he'd always answer "It does that." with a shrug of his tiny shoulders._

_Gaara, dear, I don't remember much of that night save your name and well... actions; so you can understand why I doubted, but look at him. He looks so much like you (at least what I remember). It's only a plus that he's got your ability._

_I will not leave my child with my sister. She's crazy and terribly abusive toward him._

_Gaara, please, as my last wish, care for him. He's a good boy with a broken heart._

_~Shinwa_

***End Note***

_'Shinwa...'_ The name sounded familiar...

Gaara crouched down. Gabriel was so small that even crouched still didn't bring him eye level with the child. Gently he turned Gabriel's head right and then left, examining his features.

There was no doubt about it. He was his. If he could recall, he was small as a child too. Gabriel's eyes were the same, save for the dark circles from his incurable insomnia. The hair was thicker and a tad darker though.

"How old are you?" Gaara asked releasing the boy's face.

"Four."

Gaara nodded, that sounded about right. He held up the note, "It said you can control the sand to your will?"

Gabriel nodded enthusiastically, "Hai!" he stopped nodding, "Th-though not much. Juss small things."

His son's (yes he acknowledged it) smile faded as Gaara stood. Stepping aside, he gestured for Gabriel to come inside.

With a happy inhale and a big smile he bounded in.

Gaara caught sight of Temari, mouth wide upon, posture threatening to drop the basket of food she was carrying.

Gaara wasn't sure what to do, so he ignored her and entered their house.

**0oOo0**

Gaara didn't know what to do with a child. He had no experience in raising a child, other than being a child himself and briefly teaching at Konoha; and it wasn't like his own childhood was a good example to follow.

They stood there for a few minutes, awkwardly.

Gaara inspected hi new 'son'. "Where are your things?"

Gabriel shrugged, stopping his visual snooping. "Auntie wouldn't let me take nothing." Gaara's eyebrows pulled together.

_'What kind of aunt would do that?_'

Granted his own uncle tried to kill him, but at least he made an effort.

"But that's okay. Auntie is-" he trailed off "Besides I have you teh take care of me know." he hugged himself and gazed up at Gaara with the cutest of smiles.

His smile made Gaara's lips twitch in a good way.

Right then, at that very moment, Gaara vowed on his very existence that his one-night-stand's angel wouldn't ever feel alone.

"Come on." Gaara said turning away and entering an un-lit hallway. Gabriel hesitated briefly before following his mysterious father.

It wasn't long before Gabriel bumped into his father, who only glanced down. His silence was weird, even for him, but it was welcoming. After all this was sooo~ awkward.

"I don't use this room. It's yours. I'll have Temari get some things for it. She'll help you settle in." with that, Gaara turned around to disappear through the dark hallway.

Gabriel, to say, wasn't disappointed. He'd heard rumors of his father being a cold, heartless monster; a ruthless killer who had no capacity for love. Of course the child didn't believe the rumors... well not all of them anyway. Gaara is a Shinobi and the Kazekage; plus Gabriel grew up slightly alone, so he understood that both their social skills could use a little work.

He took a deep breath to calm his shattered nerves. He'd gone through way too many traumatic experiences in the last week for his age. First his mother's sudden death, Auntie's abuse had gotten worse, the empty funeral that only a few showed up for, and literally being kicked out of his own house. He still had the bruises...

At least Gaara had in mind for someone to take care of him. Which had brought back the thought of this 'Temari'?

"Wait!" he called out to Gaara who was still making his way out. He turned slightly at the voice, "W-who's Temari?" Gabriel asked timidly.

"My sister." he answered dryly; then upon seeing Gabe's panicked face he added, "Don't worry, she may seem tough but she loves children and she's really nice." without another word he opened the door to the sandy outdoors and left.

Gabriel stayed in the hallway thinking about Gaara's sister. His mother's sister had ruined the name 'Auntie' for him, so the idea of a new aunt was a little scary.

Pushing his anxiety away, he fumbled around till he found the light switch. The room was a little dusty and empty, not too big and not too small. In one corner sat a squat trunk, the other end having a rolled up mat for sleeping. Of course Gabriel was never one to complain, after all, it wasn't like Gaara was expecting him.

With his inherited sand ability, he pushed all the dust and sand out of the rather large window. He wished he could do more. He'd heard stories of his father turning lush green forests into barren waste land in just one move. Make sand so hard it can stop high velocity attacks. All he could do is move the sand around and maybe if he concentrated Gabriel could turn the sand to rock. It disappointed Gabriel that he couldn't do more than that, and even if he did, it was the sand that did it, not him.

But Gabriel inherited his mother's silent acceptance and optimistic attitude. He was sure that with practice he would get better, maybe even better than Gaara; though he seriously doubted that. Most of Gaara's powers came from his Bijuu, though he'd heard that he's no longer a Jinchuuriki.

With the room cleaned and his things unpacked, well what he was able to sneak with him, (which was only a toy or two) Gabriel didn't know what else to do. So he just did what he did best: stay quiet and out of the way.

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**A/N: So what do you think?**

**To explain some things that I couldn't figure out how to fit in this chapter:**

**1****) The Kazekage mansion or Gaara's home isn't in particular detail in the anime/manga, so it won't be in the story.**

**2) Gaara's raccoon markings are a birth mark like Naruto's whiskers, so...ya.**

**3) Gabriel's name isn't Japanese, but I really couldn't think of any other name.**

**4) I don't give a specific age for Gaara because I hate math, so just assume he's between 20-26. **

**5) Shinwa (Gabriel's mom) had a genetic disease (I don't know if I will be able to fit this in here or not) so that's how she died, her name means 'myth' or 'legend' in Japanese BTW. Oh and the whole 'I'm not a Saint' thing, Gabriel's mom...slept around, (she was by no means a whore, she did it because it helped with her chronic pain she would often feel) but she's not a prostitute.**

**6) Gabriel's sand isn't Gaara's sand or anything like that, it's just his. Sometimes it will do things of its own free will, but that's sand for you.**

**Any way I'll post the next chapter when I get 5 reviews. Thank you for reading XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Auntie and A Little Past**

**A/N: In case you haven't figured it out by now, Gabriel talks in 'little kid talk' so some words/grammar uses are purposefully spelled incorrectly. (But only when he is talking). **

**This chapter is basically an 'overview' of Gabriel and his mother's death. I've made Gaara socially awkward, 'cause let's face it, he totally is.**

**Anyway thank you for the reviews everyone :)**

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"Gaara! You can't honestly be going through with this!" Temari half shouted.

Gaara scowled at his sister. He'd shown her the note, explained the situation, asked for help and advice and she tells him to get rid of his son?

"How are you going to take care of a child Gaara? He needs an education, clothes, food, attention. Oh my Kami! Have you thought this through? You're-you're the Kazekage!" Temari was very close to shaking her younger brother but knew better.

Gaara's scowl deepened with every word. The sand shifted restlessly within his gourd. "And what exactly would you do Temari? Gabriel is alone and scared. He needs someone who will at least acknowledge his existence! I will not have my son thrown out on the streets." Gaara growled.

Temari sighed in defeat, "Fine. Do what you want." she turned toward him with such a look that it would have the Ichibi shaking, "But he better not turn up as messed up as you."

Gaara turned away ready to leave. "Where are you going?" Temari asked.

"Gabriel left his possessions. I'm going to retrieve them."

"What?"

"His mother's house." Gaara was now walking away.

"You're not going to kill her are you?" Temari asked nonchalantly referring to Gabriel's aunt.

Gaara had thought about it, but what good would that do? The damage has already been done. "I'm taking Gabriel. He needs his stuff."

"Might as well go with you. I'll get Kankuro; he's at the puppet storage. We'll meet up with you in your office." Temari shook her head and headed out, grabbing her fan along the way.

Gaara just nodded, he had no objections to them going.

Temari snatched the note. "I can't wait to see his face!" she beamed, practically skipping out of the training grounds.

Gaara thought that maybe he was in a pleasant mood, because he didn't feel like disemboweling anyone. Actually, now that he thought about it, his tempered had mellowed out drastically lately.

**0oOo0**

His house was quiet, a little too quiet. Weren't children supposed to be loud?

He found Gabriel laying on his back staring blankly at the ceiling of his new room. Gaara glanced up to see some sand swirling around the ceiling. Gabriel sat up upon his father entering and let the sand fall like rain to the ground.

"Let's go." Gaara said handing him a backpack.

"Where are we going?" he asked outside. They were headed toward the Kazekage's building. Gaara didn't answer for a while; instead focused on ignoring the strange looks he was getting from the villagers and fellow Shinobi. Gabriel seemed oblivious to it.

Gabriel was frozen inside. 'Is Gaara sending me away? Where are we going? Who's the pretty blond? Who's the serious looking guy with the painted face?'

"Gabriel. This is my sister, Temari." Gaara gestured to the pretty blond who smiled and waved. _'This is Auntie Temari? She doesn't look mean.'_ "And this is my brother Kankuro." Gaara continued, oblivious to his son's inner turmoil_. 'Brother? He didn't say anything about an uncle!'_

"H-hi." Gabriel managed to choke out shrinking behind his father. He really hated being so shy.

"Aww. Gaara you didn't tell me he was so cute!" Temari cooed raising her hand to pat Gabe's head. Gabriel ducked instinctively, which caused Temari's hand to draw back slightly. She ruffled his thick locks.

"Aren't older brothers supposed to start families first? I'm a little jealous." Kankuro said crossing his arms and smiling from ear to ear.

"Hm?" Gaara matched his posture, but not his smile. "I didn't know he even existed till this morning."

"Kazekage-sama!" A voice boomed barging into the open door. "You have duties to attend to." Gabriel jumped at the sudden booming voice.

"I'll do them tomorrow; I have a more important matter to attend to." Gaara said in a bland authority voice.

"But." the strange man muttered just noticing the tiny child in the room.

"Temari, Kankuro, go ahead. I'll catch up." Gaara said gently pushing Gabriel after them.

"Come on nephew, daddy has grown-up things to discuss." Kankuro said feeling very awkward saying such a thing.

Kankuro just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Gaara, Gaara of all people had a kid. But he couldn't deny that... Gabriel, was that the kid's name? looked strikingly like his younger brother.

"Where are we going?" a small voice asked.

"Gaara said you left your things at you mother's house, so there I assume." Kankuro answered rather bluntly.

The tiny figure stopped and sniffed. "I done wanna go back. Mommy's gone an-and Auntie's mean. There's noting for me there." he sniffled some more, on the verge of crying.

Temari and Kankuro exchanged glances. "Don't worry Gabriel, we're only going to be there for a little while, then we'll come straight back." Temari said soothingly.

"But why do I hafta go? I don't wanna go to that place." Gabriel backed up shaking his head, "She'll hit me."

"Gabriel, Gaara won't let anyone hurt you, and neither will we. I promise." Temari promised with Kankuro nodding in agreement.

"P-promise?"

"Promise." three voices said in unison. Gabriel turned around to see Gaara standing behind him. Gaara managed a smile.

"Gaara are sure about this? The Council will be pissed when they find out." said Kankuro as they made their way through the desert.

"I don't care. Baki-san will take care of the immediate." It was no secret of Gaara's dislike of the Council.

**0oOo0**

The trip there was mainly uneventful. The only thing that happened was a break and Gaara suddenly veering off to pee.

Six hours later they arrived at a dusty little village that had dozens of children zooming in and out of alleys. The village had no name, no remarkable land marks; just a rare desert lake that happened to be common in that area.

Gabriel walked ahead, like he had done the whole way there, greeting people as they passed by. None of the villagers gave the strangers the time of day. The small group came upon a small clay house with a sick, possibly drunk, woman with hair the color of wet sand sitting on the railing of the porch.

"Auntie." Gabriel whispered hiding slightly behind Gaara.

"You!" she screeched, "I thought you died along with your mother."

Gabriel ignored her evil glare and opened the door. "I juss want my stuff." Gaara didn't like the women's eyes. They were full of hate and evil intentions.

The house was just as plain and forgettable as the town. A couch, a radio and a coffee table. A dried up plant lay lifeless on the floor. The pot broken leaving its occupant's dead roots tangled to the sky, the spilt soil mixing in with the dirt floor.

"Nice place." Kankuro noted sarcastically.

A click sound followed closely by a whiz of moving air. Suddenly Gaara lurched forward forcefully. Kankuro grabbed his arm before he could fall. Sand - in a flash - formed a very sharp spire as it barreled into Auntie.

"Gaara!" Temari shouted.

"It wasn't me!" Gaara shouted back.

The three adults (still alive) turned in slow-motion toward Gabriel. Sand had formed a wall between him and his now diseased aunt. The boy stared wide-eyed at the arrow-head barely a centimeter from his right eye. The Sand Siblings followed the sand toward the aunt slumped over with a crossbow in her hand. Blood dripped down making a puddle at her feet.

Gabriel released the sand. 'Auntie tried to kill me! Why?'

"Are you okay?" Gaara asked.

After a pause and the sound of moving sand died, Gabriel spoke almost to himself. "Mommy said, when I was a baby she got real sick. Auntie gave me a bath. Mommy had to potty. Auntie was holding me underwater, 'n I wasn't breathing. She said it was the scariest thing that evah happened. Mommy never let me alone with Auntie." Gabriel looked up at his new family with a faraway expression, "Why?"

"It doesn't matter now. Just don't do that again." Gaara placed a hand on his head.

Gabriel nodded. He had no intention of ever doing that again. Still, he couldn't help but feel it won't be his last time killing someone in order to protect himself. The worry that came off the group was a thick fog-like atmosphere. He ignored the strange feelings of foreboding and ventured deeper within the house.

Temari wandered off into the kitchen. The table was missing a leg and was being propped up by a slanting chair. Only a sink, oven and fridge furnished the otherwise desolate kitchen. On the dusty counter lay a few plates left out to dry. She opened the fridge, not expecting it to be full of food.

Kankuro, with the sudden urge to pee, found the bathroom. Maybe two or three meters, with a tub, toilet and a sink. No mirror. _'Talk about your humble abode.'_ The hall, which he assumed led to the aunt's room, was bare of any knick-knacks or pictures. The aunt's room was empty, save for the closet a trunk full of clothes and a mat for sleeping.

Judging by the quality of their clothes, they weren't poor, well at least not dirt poor.

Gaara found Gabriel's room; it was obvious due to the small clothes and children's toys strewn all over the floor, but no Gabriel. He was about to turn away when he heard a muffled 'Found it'.

Gabe backed out of the closet Gaara had failed to notice. The boy was shirtless and held a dark red shirt. He wiggled into it mumbling an 'Oops' when he put it on backwards.

"Is dare a puple shirt over there?" Gabriel asked kicking away discarded toys and clothes.

Gaara picked up the cloth indicated, and as playfully as he could manage, dropped it on the child's head. His son giggled and shoved it into his bag. "Gabriel."

"Hm?"

"Did your mother allow you to abuse you clothes?"

"Hah?"

"Fold your clothes."

"But, that takes forever! I done wanna stay long."

"A few more minutes won't kill you. Trust me, Temari use to nag me all the time about not folding my clothes. You don't want her to nag." Gaara was finding it quite easy to be 'fatherly' lately.

A dramatic sigh and a pouty 'Fine' later, he dumped his bag of its contents and neatly placed them away. When all his unwanted belongings were shove unceremoniously in the corner, Gaara noticed a bed missing.

"Gabriel, where did you sleep?" he asked. 'The boy didn't have insomnia did he?'

He looked up from zipping the last zipper, a sudden sadness in his clear green eyes. "I slept with mommy."

'Wasn't he a little too old for such behavior?' Of course Gaara lacked he experience to know that for sure, so he let it go.

His somber mood continued. Gaara wasn't sure what to do. Gabriel shrugged on his bag and trudged out the door. He stopped outside a closed door next to his room. It was cracked in some places, but the doorknob was a polished silver.

Hesitantly the child opened the door, (Gaara had joined his siblings in the kitchen). Said child breathed in the scent of warmth and mother. The faint smell of death still clung in the air; slowly, struggling against the onset of tears, he made his way to the big plushy bed he had shared with his mother.

The room, like most of the town, didn't have much. (The people worried more about food and water than possessions). Mother's room had a bed, night table, a trunk he never saw her open, and a faded jade green rug that covered the hard dirt floor.

Gaara came back to find his new son sitting on the bed hugging his knees. "I miss her." he mumbled tearfully.

"Hmm?" Gaara wasn't paying attention till now. The Sand Shinobi sat on the bed next to him. "I wish I knew your mother. You seem to love her very much."

A flash of what exactly they did in bed went through his mind. Gaara flushed red at such an erotic memory.

Sniffling turned to bawling, which snapped Gaara out of memory lane, "What's the matter?" he stupidly asked, knowing full well what was wrong.

Gabriel looked up, a river of held back tears burst through his lids. "I miss her so**-*hicc***mu**-*hicc*-**uch. I-I ***cries*** woke up en***hicc***en she was-she was." he couldn't finish.

_'What an awful way to start the day.'_ Gaara thought. "Shhh~" Gaara tried to comfort him by rubbing his back, but it wasn't enough. _'Don't people hold crying people?'_ Without his knowledge, he wrapped his arms around the broken and suffering Gabriel and held him close.

Gabriel had no hesitation in curling in on himself and burying his face in his father's shoulder. Gaara held him while petting his hair and gently rubbing his back. Suna's Kazekage had no idea where this affection was coming from, but then again he wasn't going to complain.

Temari and Kankuro heard crying and rushed toward the source, only to nearly faint in surprise. Their almost emotionless brother was cradling a bawling child with a faraway expression. You could see that he didn't quite understand the situation but was trying to.

Kankuro placed a hand on his sister's shoulder and they turned back with small smiles. They'll pack some food for the journey back; it was unlikely they'd be getting home to Sand before nightfall.

Gabriel stopped crying and sniffled a while. _'Gaara's warm...' _"I knew somthin was wong."

"What do you mean?" Gaara asked glad he ceased the leaking.

"The night mommy died."

Gaara waited.

"I stayed up all night wit her, all the time. I was always afraid she not wake up. She must've put sleepy medicine in my milk, 'coz I fell asleep real fast." he yawned, "I woke up and I couldn't move. Mommy was holding me extra tight, she was cold." Gabriel pressed himself closer.

"You should sleep." Gaara said looking down at his son's heavy lids. He must've been exhausted. Traveling six hours to Hidden Sand by himself and back. Using un-trained chakra, the crying...

Gabriel made some child-like worried noises. "You'll still be here when I wake up? Right?"

"Where would I go?" Gaara said managing a smile.

The child fell asleep almost immediately.

Gaara of the Desert stood, adjusted the tiny bundle slightly - he didn't so much as twitch. He probably looked ridiculous carrying a child like a woman would; but Gabriel's weight was in no way inconvenient, and Gaara had no objections.

Temari shouldered a pack of food when Gaara came walking in signaling to leave.

Down the dusty road they were stopped by and elderly woman who asked where they were taking Shinwa's 'Little Angle'. They informed her of her death nearly a week ago and that Gabriel will be living with his father for now on; and that Auntie was dead inside.

The old lady nodded and grumbled upon hearing the news. "Gone two weeks and the whole town goes to Hell." she mused walking away, "You take cay of my grandson ya hear! If I get word he's unhappy, I'll run right over there tah Sand and beat the hell outah ya with my walking stick!" she then slammed her door.

"Oookay..." Kankuro drawled as Temari snickered and Gaara simply walked away. From what that old lady said, she was serious.

Darkness fell halfway through their journey. Gabriel stayed up the whole night with Gaara only to pass out just before dawn, so Gaara had to carry him... again.

When they finally got back to Sand, Gaara handed Gabriel to Temari as the Elders began dragging him away nagging him on how he had just left his duties.

"Kazekage-sama! A message from Cloud!" one cried.

"Documents you must read from Mist!" another yelled.

"Temari, get him settled at home." Gaara ordered, ignoring the annoyed look on his sister's face and the pestering council.

"Kazekage-sama! A message from Konoha! It's urgent!" an attendant screamed from the office window. Gaara didn't want to go, but he'd ignored his duties for far too long.

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**A/N: Gabriel's grandmother is actually his great-grandmother... uh that won't be cleared till way later. Temari and Kankuro feel so out of character I hate it~~~**

**More explanations that really have no place in the story/chapter:**

**1) About Auntie hitting Gabriel in the past: Gabriel's sand doesn't always defend him unconsciously like Gaara's.**

**2) About a 4 yr. old traveling 6 hours alone across the desert... His grandmother would take him to Suna (and other places) often when his mother was in the hospital or too sickly for him to be around, so he knows the way.**

**3) Gabriel showed them how to get to Gabriel's village FYI.**

**4) Gabriel's village means absolutely nothing to the story, therefore it deserves no detail.**

**5) I am such a hypocrite when it comes to OCs. I HATE them with a passion, yet my main character is an OC XD. Anyway, usually if I do have an OC, it's a side character that has like 2-5 lines/scenes and/or are killed off quickly. That's what I did for Auntie. Don't feel bad for her guys, she was a drunken Bitch who would abuse Gabriel and ignored her sick sister...**

**Any way thank you for the reviews yet again. Same as before 5 reviews and I will post the 3rd chapter :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Playing at the Playground**

**A/N: More unwanted OC's~ ugh. Kankuro, everyone is so OOC.**

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Kankuro woke Gabriel for breakfast around nine a.m. Temari had dumped the boy on him after receiving a mission because he had the day off.

He didn't mind per-say, it was just that he'd rather spend his free time tinkering with his puppets than babysitting a child.

After breakfast Kankuro thought it would be good to test Gabriel on what he knew a little. He did it all, stumbling a little with the reading and forgot a few numbers whilst counting, but Uncle said it was okay, "You're well learned for your age."

"Of course. " He said, "Mommy taught me. She read to me when she felt well."

"Gaara will probably hire a tutor for you, till you can start the Academy." Uncle Kankuro said washing dishes.

Gabriel retreated to his room to play with his toys. He was admittedly lonely, but he liked being by himself. He only had a few friends – more like acquaintances – at his old village, and he never really felt the need to interact with them all the time. His mother had called him a 'natural loner'. It wasn't like he didn't enjoy company it was just that he could only tolerate people for a limited time period.

"Gabriel." Gabe looked up from the floor, where he had built a rock sand castle for his wooden knights, to see a smiling painted uncle. "Come on, I'll show you 'round the village."

"Okay." Gabriel jumped up excitedly dusting himself off and quickly changing into different clothes.

Kankuro noticed that most of Gabriel's clothing consisted of loose-fitting shirts and pants. His shirts were mostly in shades of purple and red, somewhere blue or green; and his pants favored dark browns, blacks and dark greys. A white or black sash and a few over-shirts or vest thrown in there somewhere. _'This kid has the fashion sense of an adult.'_ Kankuro thought.

Today he wore a blue-violet shirt with sleeves that reached his elbows, black pants that reached his knees. The boy was already at the door slipping his sandals on by the time Kankuro turned around to follow.

"You're excited." Kankuro stated, slipping his own sandals on.

"I dun go nowhere. Mommy was always too sick. "The farthest I've gone is Leaf. Nana had a friend dare that died so Granny took me to go to his funeral coz Mommy was in the hospital." Gabriel became suddenly calm and quite when they joined the crowded streets.

"What happened to all that enthusiasm?" Kankuro asked.

"I-" he seemed to have trouble coming up with an answer, "I don't really like people."

"Me neither kid." Kankuro hummed, "Why is that?"

Gabriel shrugged becoming distracted by a woman with impossibly thick muscles throwing - is that a child!? - "I dun know." He finally answered.

Kankuro proceeded to show him the village. Many people stopped to stare and gossip at the pair. The Hidden Village in the Sand didn't get too many newcomers, so the news of a strange red-headed child spread like wildfire. (For a Shinobi village, they couldn't keep their mouths shut). Gabriel seemed to come out of his shell a bit when they stopped for lunch. He asked question after question, Kankuro answered them all to the best of his ability.

Eventually the puppet master got tired of Gabriel's and the people's questions, so he dumped the boy at the closest park. "Go, makes some friends, I'll be back after I run some errands."

Gabriel totally saw through the lie. "Liar." he said with a smile, then turned tail and bounded away toward the sand box.

Kankuro laughed as he walked away. The kid was sharp, he had figured out most of the answers to all his questions before he could even say a thing. Gabriel seemed pretty adept with his sand – though not nearly as adept as Gaara was at his age. Couldn't be helped, Little Gabe wasn't raised a ninja. Kankuro couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

**Oo0oO**

Meanwhile, in the Kazekage's office: Gaara is sifting through papers of some important business, when a few Council members knocked at the door.

"Enter." Gaara provided not taking his eyes off the letter sent from the Hokage. Something about dangerous bandits at their border that have been preying on travelers. The bandits seemed to be based in Fire but raided in Wind, possibly taking advantage of the country's different law policies. He'll have to set a patrol and notify every one of the possible danger.

"Kazekage-sama." One member began and stopped.

"What is it?" Gaara demanded signing a document.

"It's about that child you were with yesterday." The council member finished reluctantly.

"And?" Gaara stopped his work to stare at his elders.

"Word travels fast Kazekage-sama. Who is he exactly?" another asked.

"My son."

"?" they exchanged wary glances, all of them beyond shock.

"Gabriel is a product of a drunken one night stand some years ago. His mother has recently passed away so I'm taking responsibility for him. I am his only blood relative left." Gaara left out the old hag considering she had no qualms of the boy leaving with him.

The few council members standing before him didn't seem to be convinced.

"Is there a problem?" Gaara asked/demanded returning to the pile of paper work that had magically appeared at his desk.

"No. Of course not." Baki provided giving 'the look' to his fellow colleagues. "We just wanted to clear up some rumors that have been popping up is all."

Gaara wanted out. He wanted to see how tiny Gabriel was doing. Was he making friends? Temari and Kankuro, they weren't ignoring him were they? But the paper work just kept coming. Seriously, where the hell did this all come from anyway? Gaara hadn't seen anyone come in the entire day, yet every time he turned around there was a new pile of work.

Who knew the work of a Kage was mostly paper work? Don't get Gaara wrong, he enjoyed being the Kazekage, but he could do without all the grueling paper work that took most of the day and sometimes most of the next day. _'Good thing I never sleep.'_ Gaara joked to himself.

He spent most of the day finishing, signing, reading, stamping, etc. At the last scroll he experimentally turned away and back again. No more paper, his desk was clear except for the pile of finished work.

'_Thank Kami.'_ He thought.

An assistant came and took the tree sacrifices away telling him that his work was done for the day as she left to file and send and do whatever else her job entitled her to do. Gaara thanked the girl and reclined back in his chair rubbing his sore wrists. It took him a while to notice Baki standing there, "More paper work?" he asked dryly.

"No. Though you may have set a record."

"…"

Baki smiled at his ex-student, "You finished two days' worth of work in just a few hours."

"Mm." Gaara became tired all of a sudden. "Than what is it?"

"Your so-called son."

Gaara leaned forward taking the stance of a dangerous animal, his eye had a deathly glint to them. "And what of it? Is there a problem?"

Baki, used to his looks, sighed and gave a light chuckle, "No. it's just I'm – no the entire village, maybe even the entire Shinobi world's surprised that you have a biological son."

Gaara relaxed, "I'm starting to think I should be offended by that."

"I see no reason you should be." Kankuro's voice sounded behind Baki, "Gaara your kid is pretty smart. At least I think so."

"Where is he?"

"I dumped him at the park." Upon seeing Gaara's 'look' he added, "He'll be fine, I'll pick him up in a little while."

Gaara sighed, "Smart? He's four."

"I mean he catches on fast. I think it would benefit him to have a tutor. I tested him a little and he has some trouble reading and I don't think he can write." Kankuro said.

"He's four." Gaara said again.

"I'm just saying. Even I could write a little by four. It really would benefit him to be little ahead of the other children given his tiny size." Kankuro shrugged.

Gaara did see the wisdom in what Kankuro suggested. "How small is he?" Baki asked interrupting Gaara's thought process.

"About as small as I was." Gaara answered standing. Baki gave a 'not bad' face while nodding. "Kankuro, which park is Gabriel at?"

"The one with the red swings… The north one I believe." Kankuro walked off.

Baki, wanting to see the rumored child himself, tagged along. Gaara, in his Kazekage robes, was still thinking about the tutor issue his brother had brought up. It had to be someone he trusted, and had experience in 'troubled' children.

"Baki." Spoke Gaara, "Do you have any current students?"

"Not since you." Baki answered sensing where this was going.

"I would like you to tutor Gabriel. It might take a while for him to warm up to you though. He's… shy." Gaara clarified. Baki only grunted in response.

Meanwhile at the park with Gabriel:

When Uncle Kankuro dumped him at the park, he wasn't exactly sure what to do. He stood in the middle of the park taking in the scenes and observing the clicks that children naturally formed. Gabriel didn't think he would belong in any of them.

Gabriel spun around upon hearing a screeching laughter. As soon as he turned, he was knocked to his butt by a girl around his age.

"Eete." Gabriel mumbled. A red ball rolled by and the girl kicked it back to the other children.

"Gomen. I didn't see you." She said holding out her hand to help him up. The strange girl had dirt smudged all over her face. She had purple hair that closely resembled the color between eggplant and plum. Green eyes had a tint of mischief that sparkled in the evening sun. Her emerald skirt showed her freshly scraped knees and her white elbow length top was sand brown from playing in the dirt.

Gabriel took the offered hand. "'S okay. I shouldn't be standing in the middle of the play field."

She giggled, "You're weird." She paused, taking in his attire and shyness, "You're not from 'round here are you?"

"N-no. I c-come from anoder village, b-but mom died so I came to live with f-father." He answered shyly.

"Oh." She didn't know how to respond to that, so she stuck out her dusty hand, "I'm Midori." 'Midori' smiled so big her eyes closed.

Gabriel stared cross-eyed at her hand, then hesitantly took it. "G-Gabriel." He said.

"Oh! Like the angel! My name's just 'green'." Midori exclaimed not releasing his hand. She laughed at his blush, "Come on! You can play soccer wit us; we need another player." Then, as an after-thought she shouted, "Ninjutsu are allowed!" she pulled him toward the group of dirty children that were all smiles, not waiting for an answer.

After an hour of play, Gabriel was as scraped up and dirty as the other children. He was having a lot of fun; they playfully made fun of his small size, but he never felt offended. "Hey, shorty! Pass the ball!" they'd shout.

Soon though, the ninjutsu came out to play (sorta). Gabriel quickly learned that he was one of the only children who could actually _do_ any ninjutsu. Midori used some sort of water element she had hardly any control of, and a boy with moss-green hair and stormy eyes used the rare wind seemingly naturally.

Of course, being so young and not even in the Academy yet, they sucked. All too soon they became fatigued and bored of kicking a bright red ball around.

Several children went home when parents started to arrive. Gabriel gazed up at the sky; he hadn't realized it had gotten so late. The orange sun was well past the noon mark, well on its way toward the horizon. Pretty soon Midori, Gabriel and the moss head were the only ones left at the park.

Midori became fixated on Gabriel's sand ability. "Wow! You're just like the Kazekage!" Gabriel blushed at her praises.

"Th-thank you."

The other boy suddenly thrust his hand out, causing Gabriel to involuntarily flinch - big time. "Oi, Gabriel, he wasn't gonna hit you." Midori said placing a friendly hand on his arm.

"G-gomen." He took the boy's hand.

"Eko." He said. Gabriel assumed it was his name. He couldn't decide if he liked this boy or not; he seemed nice, he played soccer with them, but never really said a word. Before any more analysis could be made, Midori threw her arms around her new companions' necks and laughed loudly.

"We're friends now, okay!" she declared, "We have to be in the same class together, train together and be on the same gennin team together too!" she squeezed extra hard causing the boys to wheeze. "Okay?"

"Okay!" the boys squeaked unable to breathe, but laughed along with the crazy girl.

"I think it may be wise." Eko proclaimed a finger in the air and a hand on his boney hip. He held a fake air of importance about him.

"Wut?" Gabriel blinked at him.

"Wut. My wind can boost your sand en Crazy's water."

"I'm not crazy!"

"But my san is useless agains water."

"We'll figure sumthing out." Midori commented forgoing strangling Eko, "Anyway, where your parents?"

"Parents. Mom should be off work by now." Eko said dusting himself off.

"Uncle said he'd be back. You?" Gabriel asked following Eko's example.

"My big sis should be here any second." She smiled.

It was starting to get dark. The three didn't notice, they were too busy; laughing and playing in the sandy mud. The trio was caked in wet stand till Eko slapped his hands together and cried, "Fuuton! I haven' thought of a name for this yet justu!"

"LAME!" Midori yelled as they were blow dried. Still there were definitely in for a bath whenever they got home.

"Lame. So Gabriel, you look a lot like the Kazekage-sama." Eko observed after they settled down on the swings.

"Oh – w-well-" Gabriel became interrupted by Midori.

"Ya! 'Cept you got eyebrows."

"He's m-my-" Gabriel started only to get interrupted yet again, this time by a new comer.

"Gabriel!" Gaara called out, "Let's go, it's getting dark."

"No way! Gabriel you never told us your dad is the Kazekage!" Midori shouted jumping from the swing and tackling him.

"You-you never gave me the chance." Gabriel stuttered.

"Eko! Git your ass in gear!" a woman shouted.

"Gear. That's my mom! By Midori, Gabriel!" Eko waved as he ran to meet his mother. At the same time another face called out, "Pipsqueak I'm here!"

"Oh! Onee-chan!" Midori hopped up and shouted a 'see ya' as she ran.

Gabriel waved as his new friends left the park with their elder family members. "I had fun." He stated.

"That's good. You even made friends." Baki said, Gaara was shocked and happy at the same time.

Gabriel suddenly became shy again as he noticed the sand Shinobi with half his face covered by some sort of cloth. He hid slightly behind Gaara. "Um… H-hi."

"Gabriel, this is my old sensei Baki. He'll be your private tutor from now on." Gaara introduced pushing Gabe out from behind him.

"Gomen. I guess I startled you." Baki apologized.

"Tutor? You mean lika sensei?" Gabriel asked catching his father's eyes. Gaara nodded and Gabriel turned his attention to the older man, "Does dat I have t-to call you Baki-sensei?"

"Only if you want to." Replied Baki with a small chuckle. "Sayonara Gaara, I have a mission in the morning."

"Aye." He looked down at his son, head to toe covered in dirt. His knees were scrapped up and his hair a disheveled mess. *sigh* "You're adjusting well."

"I-I guess." Gabriel said. They walked in silence for a moment.

Gabriel eyed Gaara's hand, which lay limp at his side, swaying slightly as they walked home. He looked at his own earth encrusted hands and slid his hand into Gaara's much larger one. It was a moment of boldness that Gabriel couldn't pass up.

A tiny warm presence made its way into his hand. Gaara dragged his eyes downward toward their conjoined hands. It's not like he'd never held hands before he has; with his uncle, sister, brother and rarely his father. But that was when he was very young, before he became corrupted with the lies of the dead and so on. Gabriel didn't seem to be bothered, that was just fine with him, if he wanted to hold hands then so be it.

Gabriel's hand, being so small, was completely engulfed by Gaara's when his father returned the gesture.

Gabriel was starting to recognize the streets, till he was sure that the next turn would be home. Sure enough they turned and came upon the house Gaara lived in his entire life and shared with his siblings. Temari was on the couch when entered. Gaara let go of Gabriel's hand and disappeared somewhere.

"You're filthy." Temari stated smudging dirt of his face.

"I was at the park."

Gaara reappeared with a towel in hand, the sound of running water could be heard in the background. "You need a bath." He declared. Gabriel didn't want to though.

Just like Eko did, Gabriel slapped his palms together; as he did so, most of the sand and dirt poofed off him and fell in a pile at his feet. "No I don't" Gabriel was proud of himself, though he was still as filthy as a baby pig in the muck.

"Nice try, but no." you're still going to take a bath." Gaara said crossing his arms in an authoritative manner. Gabe pouted as his father herded him into the bathroom. He didn't pay attention as he stripped and stepped into the hot bath.

Gaara, amused by his pouting, shook his head. That was normal, he knew. Gaara left the towel on the sink's counter, "Make sure you wash your hair."

"Hai" with that, Gaara left leaving the door slightly ajar.

The bath was warm and made Gabriel very sleepy. He didn't pay attention to the dinner he ate, or the surroundings around him, he was just so~ tired. "I guess it's time for bed." Gaara interrupted his son's zoning. The plates magically disappeared (at least to Gabriel) and he stood from the table yawning.

Gabriel was about to open the door to his room when Gaara stopped him, "Matte."

"Hm?" Gabe turned around, one hand on the doorknob the other in his eye.

"You can use my bed till you have a proper one installed in your room." Gaara said guiding his sleepy son away.

"W *yawn* what 'bout you?" Gabriel asked crawling into the strange bed.

"I don't sleep." Gaara caught Gabriel as he nearly fell of the bed trying to climb up.

"Mommy said boys need sleep to get strong and big." He was sitting up now, the thick covers covering his lap.

"Not me."

"Why not?"

"I have insomnia."

"I-insomknee- what?" Gabriel laid down.

"Insomnia, a medical condition that prevents me from sleeping." Gaara explained, pulling up the blankets on the heavy lidded boy.

"Not even wit sleepy medicine?"

"Not even with sleepy medicine." Gaara turned to leave as the boy yawned.

"Matte otou-san." Gabriel whispered sleepily.

Gaara, surprised by being called 'dad', swiveled around, "Yes?"

"C-can you stay till I fall 'sleep? I-I'm not use to sleep'n alone." Gabriel's eyes closed and a hand reached out for him.

"Of course." Gaara sat at the window to gaze at the village, listening to his son's slow breathing. It only took a few minutes for him to fall deep into REM sleep.

Temari happened to walk by the open door an hour later to find a tiny lump with red hair in Gaara's bed and Gaara himself in his window sill, head bowed arms crossed. She ventured closer to see Gaara's eyes closed, he was fast asleep.

Gaara woke with a start. He couldn't remember what he was dreaming about, he hardly ever could. It took him a second or two to gain back his bearings. A sneeze made Gaara whip his gaze toward his bed, Gabriel had rolled over when he sneezed. At first he thought that the boy had woken up, but closed eyes and even breathing denounced that.

Gaara stared out the window, it was dark, but dawn was fast approaching. It was at the time where it was literally darkest before the dawn.

He stood, he had so much stuff to do for Gabriel and he had no idea where to start. He took to wandering around the compound where he ran into Kankuro coming from… somewhere. "So you're awake."

"Ya. Time got away from me. Didn't realize it was so late." Kankuro knew that face. The face Gaara wore, the face that was unsure – maybe a little scared. "Gaara, what is it?"

"He called me dad."

"Is that it? He called me uncle, but you don't see me mopping about it."

"No, it's not that." Gaara looked off into the distance, watching the stars slowly blink out as the dawning came ever closer. "I don't know how to be a dad. I don't know where to start. How do I even be a dad?" it was a rhetorical question, one Kankuro answered anyway.

"It's not like there's a manual for this." Kankuro turned to watch the distance with him, "Start with what only you can teach him." He started walking away.

"What do you mean?" Gaara asked watching him walk away.

"Your sand otouto. Teach him your sand." Kankuro waved as he vanished within the house.

Once again, Kankuro gave him the answer at the same time as making him do all the work. There is no how-to guide to being a parent; but he could start by teaching Gabriel his techniques. He may not make the perfect father, but at least he'd be someone who's there.

* * *

**A/N: lol, I can totally picture Kankuro ditching some poor kid somewhere after he's gotten bored with him/her. Okay you know the drill some note junk.**

**1) Midori… I don't know, I pulled that name out of my ass. She's a bit tomboy-ish and enjoys theatre, dancing and girly stuff.**

**2) Eko… I don't know about that name… he is quiet most of the time. He's not shy just observant. I'm actually thinking about making him gay (if I do decide to make a sequel that is).**

**3) Gabriel is more 'aware' of his surroundings than most children his age. I'm only saying this if I didn't convey it properly.**


End file.
